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Camarda began his NASA career at NASA Langley in 1974 in the Structures and Materials Division, where he conducted aero-thermal research for a variety of aeronautics and space projects. In 1986, after 22 years at Langley, Camarda was accepted into the astronaut program.

Astronaut Camarda served as mission specialist 5 on the STS-114 Discovery Return to Flight mission, during which the Shuttle docked with the International Space Station and the crew tested and evaluated new procedures for flight safety and Shuttle inspection and repair techniques. Camarda is currently assigned to the NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC). Through the NESC, Dr. Camarda will use his technical expertise to evaluate problems and supplement safety and engineering activities for Agency programs.

As Camarda began to present the awards he stated, "I'm happy to be here and I thought I'd do something a little different for this ceremony; Instead of showing you footage from my flight and talking about my flight, I really wanted it to be about the honoree's, the employees."

All of the recipients received these awards "on behalf of the astronauts." As Camarda stated, "There is no way we can replace the people. The people are our prime resource."

Paula Chambers received a Silver Snoopy Award for her significant support to the Space Shuttle Program Return to Flight efforts at Langley Research Center. Specifically, her management of the Orbiter, System Integration, and External Tank program elements ensured that products were funded and on track with no cost overruns.

Kim Bey also received a Silver Snoopy Award for her support of the Columbia Accident Investigation Team and her work on the Agency Internal Aerothermodynamics (IA) Team. This team was instrumental in using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to determine the minimum hole size in the wing leading edge through which plasma would be ingested in sufficient quantity to cause critical damage to the vehicle.

Elliott Cramer was also a recipient for his significant contributions towards the development of nondestructive thermographic techniques for critical components of the Shuttle Orbiter.

John Edwards displayed outstanding leadership of an inter-center NASA/contractor team in the planning, investigation, and understanding of the aeroelastic stability of the LO2 and OH2 cable trays on the external tank of the Space Shuttle.

As a direct consequence of Joel Everhart's technical contributions, the Ageny's Space Shuttle Program possesses a higher-fidelity, physics-based local heating model, which provides the thermal community with damaged tile heating augmentation factors that eliminate unnecessary conservatism from the current flight methodology. This reduction in conservatism will result in the mitigation of risk associated with performing unnecessary on-orbit inspection/repairs, thereby improving the safety of future Space Shuttle missions.

Mark Hilburger received a Silver Snoopy Award for his outstanding support in helping the External Tank (ET) Program understand the complex behavior and potential failure mechanisms which cause cryogenic foam insulation to be liberated from the tank during ascent and become a debris source which can cause critical damage to the Space Shuttle Orbiter.

Kevin Rivers supported the Shuttle Return-to-Flight Team and his work leading the development of the Plug Repair, a repair that can be installed by astronauts during an extra-vehicular activity while in low earth orbit to repair up to a 4-inch hole in the Shuttle's wing leading edge.

Stephen Scotti received appreciation for his leadership role in the Shuttle Return to Flight Thermal Protection System Repair R&D efforts. Scotti's significant contributions in the development of new, practical repair approaches represent a truly exceptional engineering achievement.

Vincent Zoby was recognized for his outstanding lifelong contributions to the Space Shuttle program, starting with your work analyzing the flight data from the first Shuttle missions, to your recent contributions to the Shuttle Return to Flight Program.

Michael Gazarik's leadership role on the Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Infrared (IR) Camera Project Team earned him a Silver Snoopy Award. Due to his motivational and management skills, the EVA IR Camera was onboard STS-114 two flights ahead of the original schedule.

David Haakenson was recognized for his role in the development of the Extravehicular Activity Infrared Camera. Your project leadership skills in the Verification and Validation and Camera Operations areas have demonstrated that you are a vital link in the success of our space programs, and we thank you for your contribution.

Another Silver Snoopy recipient, Edward Kist was awarded for his role in development of the Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Infrared (IR) Camera. Kist's significant contributions as Lead Electronic Systems Engineer for the EVA IR Camera Project have demonstrated that you are a vital link in the success of our space programs.

David Moore was an integral member of the Shuttle Return-to-Flight Damage Assessment Team. His expertise and efforts in the structural modeling, analysis, and assessment of Reinforced Carbon Carbon shuttle wing leading edge panels have demonstrated the technical competence, dedication, and pride that guarantee mission success.

Regina Spellman also received a Silver Snoopy Award for her role as an integral member of the inter-Center team assessing the impact damage threshold for Shuttle leading edge Reinforced Carbon Carbon panels due to Shuttle and external tank debris.